Pet food recalls, explained

Who recalls, and how

Nearly all recalls are voluntary: the company announces one after finding a problem itself or being alerted by the FDA. The FDA can mandate a recall, but rarely needs to. Announcements land on the FDA's recall pages and the brand's own channels — retailers may or may not post anything at the shelf.

The classes

Class I: reasonable probability of serious harm or death — Salmonella, aflatoxin, dangerous vitamin D levels. Class II: temporary or reversible harm. Class III: unlikely to harm, but the product breaks a rule — mislabeling, quality defects.

The class is assigned after evaluation, so early announcements sometimes carry no class at all. Absence of a class is not absence of risk.

Why you hear about it late

There is no central push system to pet owners. Recalls propagate through news coverage and social media, which favors big brands and dramatic cases — a small-batch Class I can stay quiet for weeks. Lot-specific recalls are harder still: the headline never tells you whether your bag is affected.

If your food is recalled

Check the lot code and best-by date on your bag against the announcement — recalls are usually lot-specific. If it matches: stop feeding it, keep the bag and receipt (photos work) for the refund, and wash bowls, scoops and storage bins.

If your pet shows any symptom named in the announcement, call your vet and mention the recall by name — it changes what they look for.

Where Bowlmark stands

Recall alerts for anything you've scanned are free, forever — that's a founding rule, not a paid tier. Alerts go live with the app's launch; the promise is already in writing. And recall history stays visible on product and brand pages after resolution, because a track record is part of the story.